Non-refillable closure for a bottle



June 15, 1965 w. J. MILLER NONREFILLABLE CLOSURE FOR A BOTTLE Filed Jan. 21, 1963 United States Patent 3,189,206 N ON-REFILLABLE CLOSURE FOR A BOTTLE William J. Miller, 1270 Syracuse St., Denver 8, Colo.

Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,735 2 Claims. (Cl. 215-22) This invention relates to a bar bottle cap and pourer, more particularly, for use in public bars and taverns upon bottles of spiritous liquors.

It has been found that bartenders will occasionally re- .fill a partially emptied bar bottle with water or with a eap: which can be quickly and easily placed on a conventional bar liquor bottle; which cannot be removed from the bottle without complete destruction; which will increase the facility of pouring liquor from the bottle; WhlCl]. will automatically seal the bottle when not in use to prevent evaporation and contamination; and which will absolutely prevent adulteration of the bottle contents.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention,

reference is bad to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like par-ts .in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the improved cap;

'FIG. 2 is a side view thereof partially broken away to show the interior construction;

FIG. 3 is a detail top view of a threaded, bottle-closing bushing as used in the cap of this invention;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are detail cross sections through the bushing-of FIG. 3, taken on the lines 4-4 and 55, respectively, FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a vertical, medial section taken on the line 6-6, FIG. 1 with the improved cap in place on a bottle;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views looking downwardly on lines 7-7 and 8-8, respectively; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are enlarged, fragmentary, detail sections illustrating the function and operation of a locking ring employed in this invention for permanently locking the improved cap upon a bottle.

A conventional liquor bottle has a conically tapered neck 10 terminating in external threads 11 for receiving the well known threaded caps with which said bottles are originally provided. This improved, non-refillable bottle cap, preferably formed of molded plastic, replaces the conventional bottle cap.

The cap of the invention consists of a cap portion 12, shown more in detail in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, having internal threads 13 to receive the conventional threads on the bottle neck. The cap portion as a relatively thick top provided with an axial passage 14 of less diameter than the internal diameter of the bottle neck. A cylindrical, tapered skirt 15 extends concentrically downward about the passage 14. The skirt is of a diameter to fit snuggly within the bottle neck when the cap portion is threaded thereon. Two inclined ratchet notches 16, provided with locking lips 17, are molded into the thick top of the cap portion at opposite sides of the passage 14.

An inverted-cup-shaped housing 18 rotatably encloses the cap portion. Two oppositely positioned, inclined, hook-shaped ratchet fangs 19 extend downwardly from the closed top of the housing 18 and are so positioned that when the housing is rotated clockwise, the fangs 19 will descend into the ratchet notches 516 in the cap member and hook beneath the locking lips 17, as shown in FIG. 2. Clockwise rotation of the housing 18 will now rotate the cap portion 12 to tightly thread the latter onto the threads 1d of the bottle 10. If the housing be now rotated counter-clockwise the inclined ratchet fangs will ride up and out of the notches 16 to elevate the housing 18 above the cap portion 12, as indicated in broken line at E, FIG. 6. Counter-clockwise rotation of the housing will not unscrew the cap portion from the bottle since the ratchet fangs transmit no rotation in this direction.

The housing is provided with a pour opening 20 and an air opening 21. The openings 20 and 21 are positioned opposite to each other and adjacent the top of the housing so that when the housing is in the elevated position E, the openings will be open and exposed and when in the lower locked position of FIGS. 2 and 6, the openings will be closed and sealed by the cap portion 12. The circumferential position of the pour opening 20 is indicated to the user by an indicating arrow 22 molded or printed on the top of the housing. If desired, a pouring spout, not shown, could be extended from the pour opening 19.

The non-removable feature of the improved cap includes a tubular sleeve 23, formed on and extending downwardly from the top of the housing 18 through the passage l4 and the skirt 15 to a position below the latter. .A discharge port 25 and an air port 26 are formed through the sleeve 23 adjacent the top thereof so that they will be opened when the housing rises to the elevated position E and closed by the cap portion 12 when the housing descends, as shown in FIG. 6. i

The lower extremity of the sleeve 23 is closed by a .cylindrical valve block 27 cemented or otherwise permanently mounted therein. The valve block 27 is provided with an enlarged upper stop flange 28 corresponding in outer diameter to the outer diameter of the skirt 15 which prevents the cap portion 12 from falling from the housing when not in place on a bottle. The lower portion of the valve block is of slightly less diameter than the stop flange 28 and is separated from the latter by a ring groove 29 containing a resilient split locking ring 30 provided with an upper internally extending locking ridge 31. The locking ring 30 can be compressed within its ring groove, when forced into a bottle, to the diameter of the upper flange 28, as shown in FIG. 9, so that it will slide freely into the internally tapered neck of the bottle. As it enters the tapered neck, it will gradually expand and increase in diameter until its internal diameter is sufiicient to receive the reduced diameter of the lower portion of the valve block, as shown in FIG. 10.

Now, if an attempt is made to pull the improved cap from the bottle, the valve block will enter the locking ring 30 and abut the locking ridge 31 therein, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10 to prevent return contraction of the ring, which now has greater external diameter than the internal diameter of the bottle neck, so that the valve block 27 cannot be withdrawn from the bottle without destruction of the cap or bottle or both.

The non-refillable feature of the improved cap includes a vertical axial guide bore 32 in the valve block 27 having an enlarged counterbore 33 at its top and a conical downwardly-opening socket 34 at its bottom. A tubular valve stem 35 extends slidably upward from the bore 32 into a guide tube 24 extending downwardly from the top of the housing concentric of the sleeve 23. The valve stem carries a check valve 36 which normally rests in and closes the upper extremity of the counterbore 33. The stem is urged downwardly to normally maintain the valve 36 closed by means of a conical weight 37 suspended from the stem below the conical socket 34 on a flexible element such as nylon string 38.

When the valve stem is in its lowermost position, it closes an air passage 39 formed in the side of the valve block 27 adjacent the bottom thereof. When the valve stem is in a raised position, air may enter the bottle through the air opening 21 and the air port 26 into the guide tube 24 thence through the hollow valve .stem 35 from whence it discharges through the air passage 39 into the bottle. Also, when the valve stem 35 is in its raised position, liquid may flow from the bottle through an exit passage 45 into the counterbore 33, thence through the tubular sleeve 23, the discharge port 25, and from the pour opening 25?. Liquid may also flow into the counterbore 33 through radial passages 41 communicating with the ring groove 29.

When not in use, the cap is in the position of FIG. 6 with all ports closed to prevent evaporation and contamination. When desired for use, the housing 18 is rotated counter clockwise 90 so it will raise and open the pour opening 2%, the air opening 21, the discharge port 25 and the air port 26. The bottle is now tilted to pour liquor from the porn opening 20. The pressure of the liquor causes it to open the check valve 36. Air flows .into the bottle to replace the liquor through the air opening 21, the air port 26, the hollow valve stem 35 and the air passage 39. As soon as the bottle is again set .upright, the valve stem drops to close the check valve 36 against the entrance of any fluids to prevent refilling or adulteration.

It might occur to some unauthorized person that if the bottle be .held horizontal and immersed in a liquid, such as water, the valve 36 would open sufliciently to allow inflow of the fluid. However, as soon as the bottle is turned to a horizontal position, the conical weight 37 will slide down the conical side of the socket 34 to pull the check valve 36 to its seat to prevent entrance of fluids.

Thus, the improved cap is irremovable and positively prevents adulterat-ion yet it provides an eflicient and convenient closure for the bottle without interfering with normal uses.

While a specific form of the invention has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that d the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A non-refillable closure for a bottle of the type having a conical threaded neck comprising: a cap portion having an axial passage and provided with internal threads to thread upon the threaded neck; an inverted cup-shaped housing, provided with an air opening and a pour opening, fitted downwardly over said cap portion, said housing being both rotatable on and vertically movable on said cap portion, said openings being positioned adjacent the top of said housing so that they will be in an open pouring position above said cap portion when said housing is in a raised position and in a closed sealed position below said cap when said housing is in a lowered position; inclined ratchet fangs interengaging between said housing and said cap port-ion so that, when said housing is rotated clockwise, it will similarly rotate said cap portion and, when rotated counter-clockwise, it will elevate above and not rotate said cap portion; a cylindrical sleeve fonmed on said housing and surrounding and extending downwardly about said axial passage and through the top of said cap portion, said sleeve having a discharge port and an air port both arranged to be opened by the raising of said housing; a valve block closing the bottom of said sleeve; a valve stem extending vertically through said sleeve; a check valve being mounted on said valve stem and preventing return of fluid to said bottle; and a weighted element suspended from the lower extremity of said valve stem for urging said check valve to its seat by gravity.

2. A non-refillable closure for a bottle as described in claim 1 in which the valve stem is hollow and having an air passage in said valve block adjacent the lower extremity of said stein so that downward movement of the latter will close said passage to prevent communication between the hollow stern and the passage.

Reterences ited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A NON-REFILLABLE CLOSURE FOR A BOTTLE OF THE TYPE HAVING A CONICAL THREADED NECK COMPRISING: A CAP PORTION HAVING AN AXIAL PASSAGE AND PROVIDED WITH INTERNAL THREADS TO THREAD UPON THE THREADED NECK; AN INVERTED-CUP-SHAPED HOUSING, PROVIDED WITH AN AIR OPENING AND A POUR OPENING, FITTED DOWNWARDLY OVER SAID CAP PORTION, SAID HOUSING BEING BOTH ROTATABLE ON AND VERTICALLY MOVABLE ON SAID CAP PORTION, SAID OPENINGS BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID HOUSING SO THAT THEY WILL BE IN AN OPEN POURING POSITION ABOVE SAID CAP PORTION WHEN SAID HOUSING IS IN A RAISED POSITION AND IN A CLOSED SEALED POSITION BELOW SAID CAP WHEN SAID HOUSING IS IN A LOWERED POSITION; INCLINED RATCHET FANGS INTERENGAGING BETWEEN SAID HOUSING AND SAID CAP PORTION SO THAT, WHEN SAID HOUSING IS ROTATED CLOCKWISE, IT WILL SIMILARLY ROTATE SAID CAP PORTION AND WHEN ROTATED COUNTER-CLOCKWISE, IT WILL ELEVATE ABOVE AND NOT ROTATE SAID CAP PORTION; A CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE FORMED ON SAID HOUSING AND SURROUNDING AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY ABOUT SAID AXIAL PASSAGE AND THROUGH THE TOP OF SAID CAP PORTION, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A DISCHARGE PORT AND AN AIR PORT BOTH ARRANGED TO BE OPENED BY THE RAISING OF SAID HOUSING; A VALVE BLOCK CLOSING THE BOTTOM OF SAID SLEEVE; A VALVE STEM EXTENDING VERTICALLY THROUGH SAID SLEEVE; A CHECK VALVE BEING MOUNTED ON SAID VALVE STEM AND PREVENTING RETURN TO FLUID TO SAID BOTTLE; AND A WEIGHTED ELEMENT SUSPENDED FROM THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF SAID VALVE STEM FOR URGING SAID CHECK VALVE TO ITS SEAT BY GRAVITY. 